OT - The reason I stopped driving fast:

http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/Ac...rsuit/?p=5&y=0

Can you say one lucky SOB? I knew you could!

This is an excerpt from an American TV show Called Worlds Wildest Police
Videos (and yes, they do show video from other countries - DH & I cheer
every time they show a Russian cop catching and then beating the criminal
into submission, as there is no "police brutality" over there!). One of the
guys you hear is a former Sherriff & host of the show, John Bunnell (Gary
Busey look-alike, if you ask me), and the other is supposed to be the
helicopter cameraman, but it's always the *same* voice no matter where the
helicopter is: Arizona, California.... So that's a guy that they've added
to the show for 'dramatic' effect.


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email me at nalee1964 (at) insightbb (dot) com
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"Magic Mood Jeep©" wrote in message
...
http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/Ac...rsuit/?p=5&y=0

Can you say one lucky SOB? I knew you could!

This is an excerpt from an American TV show Called Worlds Wildest Police
Videos (and yes, they do show video from other countries - DH & I cheer
every time they show a Russian cop catching and then beating the criminal
into submission, as there is no "police brutality" over there!). One of
the guys you hear is a former Sherriff & host of the show, John Bunnell
(Gary Busey look-alike, if you ask me), and the other is supposed to be
the helicopter cameraman, but it's always the *same* voice no matter where
the helicopter is: Arizona, California.... So that's a guy that they've
added to the show for 'dramatic' effect.


I've not watched this video yet but I will when I have a bit more time. I
am not a particularly speedy driver myself but I cannot deny that sometimes
I used to exceed the speed limit. Until...about 4 years ago I was out of
milk at 7.30 pm so I decided to go down to my nearest shop around a mile
away. I was half way there when I noticed a man on the sidewalk looking at
a piece of paper in his hand. Suddenly, as I drew almost level with him,
he walked out in front of my car. I swerved to avoid him but unfortunately
he swerved the same way. So I swerved the other way and so did he :-(
Talk about an emergency stop, I nearly burnt my tyres away..but I could not
avoid hitting him.
It was just like you see on the tv adverts to tell you not to speed (I
wasn't doing or he would have been dead.) I hit him with the car's bonnet
(hood) and picked him up off the road, his head came through my windscreen.

To cut a long story short, he got away with a grazed forehead, slight
concussion and a cut small finger. He was taken to hospital (I had to pay
for the ambulance!) and discharged in the morning with a warning to watch
where was going next time.
As for me, I was breathalysed by the police - I almost couldn't breath into
the bag as I was shocked and breathless - then was threatened with being
taken to the police station and on top of that I had to pay for a new
windscreen (or 50 quid excess, insurance paid the rest and to add insult to
injury lost my no claims bonus!!)
My point is - yes, I do get to it eventually - is that if I had been
travelling at 40 mph I would probably have killed him. I wasn't, I was only
doing 30 in the 30 limit. well 29 actually, the police worked it out from my
skid marks on the road. I was free to go.
I had hoped the bloke might offer to pay for the ambulance and my excess
charge on my windscreen as it was his fault, but no such luck!
I keep very carefully to speed limits now - it annoys the hell out of other
drivers, but hey, as my friend always says when impatient motorists overtake
her when she's up to the speed limit "there's plenty of room in hell."
You never know when someone is going to jump out in front..

Tweed

Christina Websell wrote:

I had hoped the bloke might offer to pay for the ambulance and my
excess charge on my windscreen as it was his fault, but no such luck!

It sounds like he did cause the accident, so in that sense, it was his
fault. But you had the far deadlier weapon, so as a driver, you had a
much greater responsibility in that situation. In the US, it's pretty
much always the driver's fault (legally speaking) when a pedestrian is
hit, unless the person was coming at you with a baseball bat or something.

So I guess what I'm saying is, ethically, he caused it, but legally,
you were responsible nonetheless. Well, that's how it would be in the
US, anyway.

Although I did get lucky one time when a bicyclist hit my car, went
flying, and got a concussion. At first, I thought I had hit her, and I
was horrified. But it turned out she was biking on the wrong side of
the road, she had run a red light, and she wasn't wearing a helmet.

I was pulling out from a side street and turning right (at a green
light), so I was looking to the left for oncoming traffic. She came
screaming along on my right and slammed into the side of my car. I
didn't know what had happened - I'd heard the noise and felt an impact,
and then saw a bike wheel spinning on the upended bike. Then saw the
woman getting up slowly, holding her head. I jumped out, tried to talk
to her, offered to take her to the hospital, etc, but she wasn't
answering. OMG, I was thinking, I just caused this poor woman to have
brain damage and she can't talk. (Turned out she didn't speak any English.)

Luckily, the cop who arrived on the scene could see what had happened,
and I didn't get cited (or worse), even though the bicyclist had to be
whisked off in an ambulance. In some areas, where they are more bike-
friendly, I probably would have gotten in trouble. I actually support
bike-friendly policies, but was still relieved that I didn't get in
trouble. Even though I have more responsibility as a driver, there are
some pretty stupid bicyclists (and pedestrians) out there!

Joyce

wrote in message
...
Christina Websell wrote:

I had hoped the bloke might offer to pay for the ambulance and my
excess charge on my windscreen as it was his fault, but no such luck!

It sounds like he did cause the accident, so in that sense, it was his
fault. But you had the far deadlier weapon, so as a driver, you had a
much greater responsibility in that situation. In the US, it's pretty
much always the driver's fault (legally speaking) when a pedestrian is
hit, unless the person was coming at you with a baseball bat or something.

So I guess what I'm saying is, ethically, he caused it, but legally,
you were responsible nonetheless. Well, that's how it would be in the
US, anyway.

Although I did get lucky one time when a bicyclist hit my car, went
flying, and got a concussion. At first, I thought I had hit her, and I
was horrified. But it turned out she was biking on the wrong side of
the road, she had run a red light, and she wasn't wearing a helmet.

I was pulling out from a side street and turning right (at a green
light), so I was looking to the left for oncoming traffic. She came
screaming along on my right and slammed into the side of my car. I
didn't know what had happened - I'd heard the noise and felt an impact,
and then saw a bike wheel spinning on the upended bike. Then saw the
woman getting up slowly, holding her head. I jumped out, tried to talk
to her, offered to take her to the hospital, etc, but she wasn't
answering. OMG, I was thinking, I just caused this poor woman to have
brain damage and she can't talk. (Turned out she didn't speak any
English.)

Luckily, the cop who arrived on the scene could see what had happened,
and I didn't get cited (or worse), even though the bicyclist had to be
whisked off in an ambulance. In some areas, where they are more bike-
friendly, I probably would have gotten in trouble. I actually support
bike-friendly policies, but was still relieved that I didn't get in
trouble. Even though I have more responsibility as a driver, there are
some pretty stupid bicyclists (and pedestrians) out there!

Well, I did have to pay for it all, but I queried it as it seemed unfair.
What I found out was that if my car was parked legally and I was nowhere
around, I would still have to pay for the ambulance if a cyclist hit it and
needed hospitalisation!

Tweed

Christina Websell wrote:

Well, I did have to pay for it all, but I queried it as it seemed unfair.
What I found out was that if my car was parked legally and I was nowhere
around, I would still have to pay for the ambulance if a cyclist hit it
and needed hospitalisation!

OK, that's taking it *too* far, IMO! I wonder if this gets enforced?

Joyce

"Christina Websell" wrote:
It was just like you see on the tv adverts to tell you not to speed (I
wasn't doing or he would have been dead.) I hit him with the car's bonnet
(hood) and picked him up off the road, his head came through my windscreen.

To cut a long story short, he got away with a grazed forehead, slight
concussion and a cut small finger. He was taken to hospital (I had to pay
for the ambulance!) and discharged in the morning with a warning to watch
where was going next time.

What a scary experience! And what a tough individual he was! I guess
his ancestors must have evolved sturdy skulls to compensate for the
attention deficit. This sounds like something I might do on one of my
off days.

On Tue 25 Jul 2006 03:58:04p, Christina Websell wrote in
rec.pets.cats.anecdotes ):

I keep very carefully to speed limits now - it annoys the hell
out of other drivers, but hey, as my friend always says when
impatient motorists overtake her when she's up to the speed
limit "there's plenty of room in hell." You never know when
someone is going to jump out in front..

How scary. Around here, you almost have to drive fast or else risk
being hit by those who do. If the traffic isn't crawling, everyone is
in a hurry to catch up. Those rare times that there isn't a traffic
backup, I tend to drive in the slow lane behind the slow pokes
because I can't stand driving fast. I also like to have the shoulder
(not sure what you call the side lane that people don't drive on in
the UK) close by in case someone looks like they're going to hit me.

--
Cheryl